Forcepoint Partners with Girls With Impact to Increase Women in Cybersecurity with National Cyber-Venture Competition
AUSTIN, TX, NOVEMBER 4, 2021 – Forcepoint, one of the world’s largest privately owned cybersecurity firms, today announced its partnership with the nonprofit, Girls With Impact, to increase the number of women in the industry through a unique venture competition.
Under the partnership, Forcepoint will support the organization’s effort to train 10,000 young women as tomorrow’s leaders while shining the light on the $170B cybersecurity industry.
“Ours is a growing, vital industry, and diversity of talent and critical thinking is essential for continuing to advance modern security solutions for today’s digital world. Women are an essential voice needed in this industry and we’re committed to fostering new pathways into cybersecurity to attract talent both from traditional security and non-traditional adjacent industries,” said Audra Simons, Senior Director of Product Management at Forcepoint, representing its diversity and inclusion efforts. “Diversity of personnel brings along an equivalent diversity of thought – the perfect environment for generating great ideas, innovation and alternative perspectives which is required in this industry to address the ever increasingly sophisticated threat landscape. As we like to say, attackers only have to get it right once while businesses have to secure every vulnerability 100% of the time to be successful.”
The COVID pandemic has led to a 63% increase in cyberattacks. But these demands risk going unmet given the tremendous talent gap -- a 4 million staffing shortage, according to global nonprofit (ISC)², the largest association of certified cybersecurity professionals.
“As an industry, we need to show women not only that cybersecurity is an industry for them, but also just how many opportunities for entrepreneurship exist, even within established companies,” Simons continued. “When you consider that even before the pandemic, women represented just 20% of the cybersecurity workforce, it’s clear the industry is missing a trick. Businesses that are more inclusive and diverse generate better results, and often come up with better ideas. This innovation is what sets market leaders apart from the followers, and so any company that’s serious about getting ahead, also needs to take diversity equally as seriously,” she concluded.
To further support diversity and innovation, under the partnership, Forcepoint and Girls With Impact held a venture competition, open to all program graduates, for a $1,000 cash prize for the top Girls With Impact venture addressing an issue facing consumers or businesses in the cyber world.
The prize was awarded to Leah Warr, 15, CEO of Metro Underpass, a global transit app for securely monitoring train locations and times. Warr is a student at Glen Oaks Magnet High School in Baton Rouge, LA and a 2021 graduate of Girls With Impact.
Girls With Impact operates the nation’s only live, online business and leadership program. Through online classes led by trained business coaches, students move from venture idea to business plan and pitch. Nearly 40% of ventures have a STEM focus and over 70% incorporate social impact.
“We’re calling on the cybersecurity industry – one of the fastest growing -- to join us,” said CEO Jennifer Openshaw, noting that the global industry is expected to grow to $270B by 2026.
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About Girls With Impact
Girls With Impact, a 501c3, is the nation’s only live, online mini-MBA for young women, offered year-round. The live, online Business and Leadership Academy moves young women from ideation to a business plan and venture pitch, driving improvements in confidence, leadership, college readiness and professional skills for success. The organization started in 2017 when the World Economic Forum in Davos brought attention to the need to increase the number of women in leadership. Girls With Impact partners with corporations and foundations who make our work possible. Watch this.
Contact:
For Girls With Impact
Sara Segall
203-900-4745
sara.segall@girlswithimpact.com